Knitting-machine.



PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

E B E T S 1 5 sHEETs-sHBEr 1.

Quinn:

PATENTED JAN. 23, 190( B. T. S'TEBEB. KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEBJ, 1905.

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No. 810,578. PATENTED'JAN. 23, 1906.

B.T.STEBBR'. KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 1905.

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Witmmwa PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

B. T.STEBER. KNITTING MACHINE. APPLLQAII N FILED PEBJ, 1905.

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No. 810,578. PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

B. T. STEBER..

KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED IEB.1, 1905.

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' invention.

' able hooks.

piles within the Fig.

UNITED STATES.

ATENT oFFIoE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Application filed February 1, 1905. Serial No 243.709-

To all whom it may concern: 4 Be it known that I, BERNARD T. STEBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will. enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. y

This invention relates to improvements in knitting-machines, and has special reference to such machines as are provided with vertically-operating knitting-needles.

It is the object of the present invention to so construct a machine that the needles may be caused to 'which'the active needles are held temporarily stationary and the threads are caused to knit.

In conjunction with needles thus alternately operating the invention contemplatesa device in which laterally operating hooks loops of a thread or yarn for forming loops or f abric.

The invention consists in certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a knitting-machine constructedin accordance with the present Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical central section through the cylinder ofthe machine andthe support for the horizontallymoving hooks. Fig. 3 is a pl dial-plate for holding the horizontally-oper- Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the cam-holder for engaging the horizontallymoving hooks. 5 is a similar View, but showing the cam-holder provided with two hook engaging paths of different dian1e ters. Fig. 6 is a top plan View of the for holding the horizontal cam holder or plate. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a portion of the needle-cylinder spread out into a Hat condition and showing the relative positions of the needles and auxiliary yarn-engaging books, this being the preferable way when a very small needle-cylinder is employed. 8 is a top plan view of a portion of the needle-cylinder, the hooks being employed in an view of the spider connection with a cam like that shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 9 is a similar View, but showing the .hooks as operated by a cam like that shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view showing the auxiliary yarn pulled from a horizontal hook when the knittingyarn is pulled by a vertical needle. Fig. 11 1s a side elevation of a horizontal] -moving hook. Fig. 12 is a view similar to l ig. 7, but showing the hooks arranged between temporarilystationaryneedles, this being the preferable arrangement of the parts when a sufficiently large needle-cylinder is employed to admit of the use of a dial and its plate sufliciently large in diameter to accommodate two. different cam-paths for operating the hooks alternately. Fig. 13 is a detail view of the removable cam-section usually employed in the operation of the machine. Fig. 14 is a top plan- View of the washer for operating the cams carried by the horizontal cam-plate. Fig. 15 is a detail view showing one of the brackets for delivering auxiliary yarn to the looping-hooks.

The subject-matter of the present invention is an ap aratus which is capable of knittin various rinds of fabric where vertically alternately operating-needles are employed, and particularly where needles held in a cylindrical form are used for knitting cylindrical fabrics, horizontal hooks being used for drawing in or operating upon auxiliary yarns or threads which are used in connection with the main fabric. In this machine I employ horizontally-movinghooks, these hooks being moved in and out when desired for n11- ing in loops or properly disposing auxi iary yarn or threads for varying the inner face of a fabric by the addition of piles.

In the illustration accompanying this application I have shown a machine which is provided with a suitable bed-plate 1, supported in any suitable manner and having mounted upon it means for supporting a rotating cam-cylinder 2, which carries upon its inner face cams 3, having suitable cam-paths for engaging the heels 4 of the needles 5. The rotation ot the cam-cylinder is accomplished in any usual and well-known manneras, for instance, by providing it with a beveled gear 6, which meshes with an actuating beveled gear 7, which extends to a point be I low the bed-plate l, where it is connected with operating mechanism. 'lhe ('.:i.in-cyl-inder is preferably made with one or more rcmovable sections, the removable section of different fabrics in the machine,

the cylinder carrying needle-operating portions of the cam-paths, the machine bein preferably of the type shown and describe me in my previous United States Patent 0. 753,645, and emplo ing needles havin long and short butts a ternately arrange although it is obvious that the same result, so far as the moving ofthe needles is concerned, can be obtained in other ways. The cam carried by the removable cam-section may-be of any desired type and may be changed for effecting stitches and producing as clearly set forth in my patent referred to. I have shown at 2 in Fig. 13 of the drawings the cam, which 1 preferably employ when interknit tin the supplementary thread in connection wit 1 the present machine and which -is"'ca able of operatiln the knittin -needles'in ifferent sets, so t at the needles of each set are caused alternately to take yarn and to the horizontally-moving hoo knit alternately between the alternate needles which are held up in a temporarily stationary position between them. wish to be understood as limiting myself to the use of this particular cam, since it must be evident that the verticallyoperable needles ma be used in connection with different kinds 0 cams to operate them alternately. An important feature of the present invention is the manner of securim and operating s with respect to the vertically-moving needles. I have so constructed my improved knitting mechanism that the said horizontally-movin hooks are suspended by a fixed member within the upper ends of the vertical needles and are so he (1 as not to interfere with the operation of any of the parts of the mechanism. In order to accomplish the desired result, I secure a standard or vertical support 8 to the framing of the machine and carry it a sufficient distance above the bed-plate to ermit of the use of a horizontally or lateral yextending supporting-arm 9. The inner end of the arm 9 is carried to a point above the center of the knitting-cylinder, and a depending rod or supporting-bar 10 is secured to said arm and extends to a point adjacent to the upper end of the needle-cylinder. The arm 9 is rigidly secured to the su port 8, so as not to swing thereon, and the epcnding shaft or rod 10 is also rigidly secured to the arm 9, preferably by means of a set-screw 11 and a feather or key 12, which engages an elongated groove 13, formed in the depending shaft 10. The

' lower end of the shaft 10 extends downwardly within the upper ends of the vertically-moving needles a suitable distance to properly support the horizontal hook or needle dial 14, and it will be observed that the downward movement of the f abrie-is not obstructed by any lug'inside the needle-cylinder,as is usually the case with other machines. I can lay in a supplementary thread without the use Of course 1 do not moms of hooks; but when I wish to knit a fabric whose inner surface has piles I use hooks mounted in a dial to pull in the supplementary yarn in piles beyond the innerface of the cloth and will continue the description of the apparatus only mentioning the hooks. The upper surface of the dial 14 is provided with a number of radiatin hook-receiving grooves 15. In each of sai grooves a yarnengaging hook 16 is mounted. These hooks may be formed in any desired manner; but are preferably made like the hooks shown in the drawings in Figs. 2, 10," and 11. As shown, such hooks are formed with their inner ends doubled or folded upon themselves, and at a short distance from the inner ends of said hooks the material of which they are formed is shaped into a heel 17, b which the hooks may be moved back and orth. The lower edges of the hooks are formed upon the same line or lane from end to end, so as to travel upon tfie floors of .the grooves 15. The outer ends of the hooks are turned downwardly, as at 18, to form the yarn-engaging portions thereof. The dial 1,41is supported at such a hei ht upon the shaftlor depending bar 10 that t e hooks will be caused to move in and out between the up er ends of the vertical needles at a little (istance below the hinged latches of the needles which are temporarily stationary.

Fitting upon the upper surface of the dial 14 is a cam plate or member 19, which is formed with a hub portion 20, surrounding the shaft 10, but loosely engaging the same, and a laterally-projecting flange portion, in which is formed one or more grooves 21. The underface of the cam-plate 19 is provided at suitable intervals with offset portions extending from the groove 21 or enlar ements therein, as at 22, to accommodate the swinging or ivotal movement of cams 23. As shown'in Fig. 4, when using only a single groove, as 21, in the face of the cam-plate I generally emplo two cams'23, whic are pivoted at their en s, as at 24, to the said cam-plate. When not held in their hook-engaging ositions, the said cams fold into recesses 25, ormed in the body portion'of the cam-plate. When the cams are to actuate the hooks, they are moved outwardly upon their pivotpoints, so as to occupy positions such as shown in Fig. 4. When in these positions, the cams have a space between them and the outer Wall of the recesses 22 sufficient to permit of the passage of the hook-heels around the said cams, and thus the said hooks are caused to have a reciprocating movement when the cam-pl ate is rotated. Each of the cams 23 is provided at its free end with an upwardly-projecting pin or detent 26, by which the cams may be moved upon their pivots. To SHP-COllllfifilfltO the movement of the pins or detents 26, the cam-plate is formed with segmental slots 27, which are struck from the pivot-points of the KOO cams as centers, and in this manner the said grooves will coincide with the line of movement of the pins 26 when the cams are swung hack and forth. The movement of the cam is controlled and ell'ectcd by a slide 28, which is fitted upon the u per surface of the camplate flange, as clear y shown in Fig. 2. The said slide is formed with inclined grooves 29, which connect short concentric grooves 30 and 31 at their outer and inner ends. The concentric portions of the grooves are made sulliciently long to hold the cam-pins positively in the positions into which they are brought. By moving the slide 28'upon the cam-plate the pins 26 may be made to travel from the inner ends 31 of the actuatinggrooves through the inclined portions 29 to, the outer concentric end portions 30 of said grooves. The movement of the pins thus effected causes the cams 23 to be thrown to their outermost positions for reciprocating the hooks 16. The movement of the plate 28 in the reverse direction from that just re- 1' erred to will cause the drawing in of the cams by reason ofthe travel of the pins 26 to the inner ends 31 of the slots in the said slide. The slide 28 is movably held upon the camplate 19 by means of screws 32, which project through segmental slots 33, formed in the said slide 28. The slots 33 are made of sufficient length to permit of the movement of the cams to their innermost or outermost positions. The slide 28 is partially held in its extreme positions by means of small indentations or grooves 28*, which engage projecting lugs or detents 28- carried by the camplate, and said slide is sulliciently thin to be sprung upon and oil' of the said detents 28 The structure is such that the slide may be easily disengaged from one of the detents 28*, as it will yield sufficiently for movement upon or oil the same when it is to be turned from one to the other extreme of its move ment. Since the hooks are held against movement about'the shaft 10 byrcason of the dial being made fast to said shaft, it is necessary to rotate the cam-plate 19 in order to cause the reciprocation successively of the hooks. I therefore connect the cam+plate19 with a rotating part of the machine. As shown inthe drawings, the cam-plate is se cured to a spider 34, which is connected at itsouter ends with a yarn-feeding ring 35. The yarn-feeding ring is secured by one or more vertical standards 36 to the cam-cylinder 2. The rotation of the cam-cylinder thus effects the rotation of the yarn-ring, and the horizontal cam-plate engages the reciprocating hooks. The rotation of the cam-plate 19 operates to throw the hooks successively out, so as to engage auxiliary yarn fed to the machine, and then to move them inwardly again to make a loop of the auxiliary yarn inside the circumference of the knitted fabric fashioned upon the vertically-moving needles.

The yarn is fed to the vertically-moving needles through apertures such as shown at 37 in Fig. 1, the a ertures in the ring traveling just ahead el theportion of the cam which depresses the alternate needles. When hooks 16 are employed in addition to the nee (lles 5, one or more strands of auxiliary yarn or similar material can be fed to the machine by'means of a guide bracket or arm 38,-.which is secured to the yarn-ring 35 and depends sufficiently below the same to reach beneath the ends of the dial-hooks. The brackets 38 are formed with inwardly-turncd arms 39, having upwardly-projeeting ends 40, through which the auxiliary yarn passes to the hooks. The body portion of the bracket 35 is extended below the arm 3!) a snllicient distance to receive a yarn-guiding hole or aperture 41. The auxiliary yarn is thus led t irough the aperture 41 and thence through the aperture 42 in the end of the arm 39 and is in this manner led innnediately beneath the hooks witlL n their yarn-engaging hooked ends: There may be one or more of such brackets 38 secured to the yarn-feeding ring 35. I generally provide two of such brackets 38 for each set of cams, since when operating the vertical needles alternately the cam of the cylinder causes a'depression of the alternately active needles in two different places that is to say, one set of needles are first depressed for knitting and then the other set of alternate needles is caused to take yarn and is depressedfor knitting, the first set then remainmg temporarily stationary. The alternate raising and lowering of the two sets of needles may be accomplished in any suitable manner, but preferably by the employment of cams of different dept 15 arranged to receive and guide the butts of the needles, the

butts of one set of needles being longer than those of the other set, as seen in Fig. 13. The cam shown in Fig. 13 constitutes one set of cams, and in a large machine there will be as many sets as the circumference of the camring will permit. The auxiliary am is fed to the hooks at points adjacent to the positions about the cylinder of the machine when the active vertical needles are depressed, as clearly indicated in Figs. 7 and 12 of the drawings. The auxiliary strand or strands of yarn are thus partial] drawn upon the in-,

side of the are formed y the vertical knitting-needles in the form of projecting loops between the idle or temporarily stationary needles and the knitting-yarn which forms the fabric proper is brought down upon said loops and draws them from their hooks. The

arts are so positioned that shortly after the lhops, as 43 in Fig. 10, are drawn in by the hooks the knitting-needles descend, and the pulling tendency of a loop of knitting-yarn, as at 44 in said Fig. 10, will operate to pull the pile-loop 43 downwardly from the hook. The operation of the vertical knitting-needles is not interfered with in the least by the operation of the hooks, for the hooks are arranged to play in and out between the temporarily stationary alternate vertical needles which are up and not knitting, and in Fig. 7 whether the needles are depressed or raised the said hooks will not be in their path As seen in Fig. 8, the dial used, preferably in connection with small machines, contains one-half as many hooks as there are needles in the needle-cylinder, and the auxiliary strand is fed on the outside of all of the neethe raised inoperative needles, and the auxilo erative iar strand is thus given the form of a series of oops inclosing the inoperative needles and projecting into the knitting-cylinder and necessarily inside the fabric In machines whose needle-cylinder is of a large diameter it i's'desirable at times to so mount the hooks and arrange the actuatingcam that the hooks may be operated alter' nately in the same mannerthat the needles are operated alternately. In order to bring the hooks centrally between theknitting-needles and to make the machine easier 'to be kept in adjustment, the hooks are actuated in different sets, as by a cam such as that shown in Fig. 5, each set occup ing alternate positions with the other set. his does not vary the result in the formation of the fabric from the result produced by the structure shown in Fig. 8; but the machine is more easily kept in proper adjustment, because of the space on each side of each hook and between the stationary needles. When operating the hooks in alternate sets, the cam which actuates them is preferably fornied with a plurality of grooves, as shown in Fig- 5. 'The said grooves are made concentric, the inner one, 45, having a cam 46, which 0 erates in a recess 47 for actuating the bee s and which folds into a recess 48 when not in osition. The outer groove 49 is a so provi ed with a hook-operating cam 50', operating in a recess 51 and folding into a recess 52. Each of these cams is provided with actuating-pins, as 53 and 54, which project u wardly through the slots 27 in the camp ate. he zigzag slots 29 formed in the slide 28 are the same as alread described, with the exception that one is p aced a little nearer to the eripher of the cam than the other. It wil be evi cut that by this construction one set of hooks composed of every other book in the circle ma be operated by one cam, as 46, while the ot er set composed aroma of the other alternate hooks will be operated by the other cam 50. When using the doublegrooved cam, the hooks may be arranged exactly opposite to the vertical needles, for the said hooks will only be thrust out to take yarn when the needles opposite them are depressed, as clearly indicated in Fig. 12.

As a parent from a glance at Fig. 1, it will be evi cut that the usual yarn-spindles 55 may be mounted upon the plate 56, which surrounds the needle-cylinder, and the usual tension device 57may be supported above the said s indles b' framing 58. In the actuation o the hook-engaging cam the addition of the s ider 34 is not in the way and forms a simp e means of connecting the said cam with the yarn-feeding ring 35.

It will be evident that the supporting of the auxiliary device within the needle-cylinder will not interfere in any way with the operation of the usual knitting-needles and that the auxiliar device may or may not be used, as desired, t e hooks being kept out of operation by moving the hook-engaging cams into their recesses on the inner sides of the camgrooves. The machine ma thus be used for nitting circular fabrics 0 several kinds by using t 1e cams as described in my previous patent above referred to. When itis desired to rovide a na of an kind upon the inner surthrown outwardly into their operative positions by a rotation of the annular slide 28, when t e auxiliary yarn fed by means of the brackets 38 will be'engaged by the hooks and drawn inside the range of the stitches knitted by the vertically-o crating needles. In this way a succession of cops will be caused to proj ect u on the inner surface of the fabric, and these oops may be cut or sheared, if desired, pr left in the loop form, as preferred. If the auxiliary yarn be formed of material softly s un,' the loo s 'upon being napped will prouce a fleece ining tothe fabric.

It will be evident that the number of hooks employed in connection with the needles may be varied and that a small-number maybe used, as indicated-in Fig. 8, or double the number may be employed, as shown in Fig. 9, and yet draw a loop back of every knitting-needle without departing in the least from t e spirit of the invention.

As shown in Fig. 2, the upper ends of the knitting-needles 5, are preferabl bent outwardly, as indicated at 59. T is arrangement of the u per ends of the needles makes it possible to ay a loose thread back of the active needles of each series or set by simply laying the supplementary thread, in in front of or outside of the stationary alternate needles, after which the alternate active knitting-needles will after knitting as they rise come outside of the supplementary thread by reason of their to s being bent outward. The

supplementary t iread willthen be held in a ace of the abric, nit, the hook-cams are said cams and means for corrugated circular line in front of or outside,

of one set of needles and back of" or inside of the other set ofneedlcs', and as the needles of needles to interchange their respective knit in the regular hereinbefore-describcd manner this supplementary thread will be incorporated within the cloth about midway between its faces. This is especially useful in laying in elastic threads which it is not desired to knit with the needles, and a fabric provided with such elastic strands or threads is admirably adapted for use for surgical purposes. When using the machine for producing such an elastic fabric, the slide 28 is moved to one extremity of its limited action, so as to draw inwardly the hook-reciprocating cams. 'lhe hooks will thus not be operated, and the elastic or other'loose thread or yarn may be laid in the fabric upon the inside of one. set of alternate needles and the outside of the other set. When it is desired to form a fabric having a pile, the slide 2Sis moved in the other direction, so as to throw the hook-enga ing cams outwardly, and the operation will be I accomplished as before described.

Having thus fully described my invent-ion, what.I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A knitting mechanism, whose needles knit alternately between raised needles, an auxiliary yarn-engaging mechanism suspended within the needles ofthe machine and operating between raised needles of the fabricproducing mechanism, comprising a dial, yarn-engaging devices on the dial and moving cam-engaging devices having movable cams mounted thereon, cam operating detents pro ecting from the cams, a slide engaging the same for controlling the position of the raising the needles of the machine alternately.

.2. In a circular independent-needle knitting-machine, means for projecting alternate needles up out of action, means for knitting with the alternate set of needles, means for causing these sets of needles to interchange their respective order of o erations, and means for drawing loops of i eecing-thread between the shanks of all th needles raised up out of action. j

3. In a circular independent-needle knitting-machine, the combination with a cylinder, and a stationary dial arranged within the same, of fabric-knitting needles carried by said cylinder, means for projecting alternate needles up out of action, means for knitting With the alternate set of needles, means for causing said sets of needles to interchange their respective order of operation and means carried by said dial for drawing 100 s of fleecing-thread between the shanks of t 1e needles raised u out of action.

4. In a circular independent-needle knitting machine, the combination of a cylinder, needles carried thereby, cams for projecting alternate needles up out of action, and

for knitting with the alternate set of needles, said cams being formed for causing said sets order of operation, means for driving said needle-actuating cams, means for drawing loops of fleecing-thread between the shanks of the needles raised up out of action, and means driven by the cam-driving means for actuating said loop-drawing means.

5. In a circular inde endent-needle knittingmachine, the com ination of driving means, means actuated thereby for projecting alternate needles u out of action, means for knitting with the a ternate set of needles, means for causing said sets of needles to interchange their respective order of operation, a fixedly-supported shaft depending into the space surrounded by the needles, hooks supported by said" shaft, means for actuating said hooks for drawing loops of fleecingthreads between the shanks of the needles raised up out of action, and means for communicating movement from the said driving means to. said hook-actuating means.

6. In a circular independent-needle knitting-machine, the combination with a need lecylinder, and needles operating vertically therein, of means for projecting alternate needles up out of action, niea'ns for knitting with the alternate set of needles, means for causing the sets of needles to interchange their res ective order of operation, hooks for drawing loops of fleecing-thread between the shanks of the needles raised up out of action, and means for operating said hooks in alternation with respect to the active needles. 7. In a circular independent-needle knitting-machine, the combination with a needlecylinder, and fabricknitting needles carried thereby, of a dial arranged Within the space inclosed by said needles, hooks carried by said dial and adapted at times to be projected beyond said needles for drawing loops of fleecing-thread between the shanks of the needles, and cams for alternately actuating alternate hooks.

8. In a knitting-machine, the combination ,With a cylinder, needles carried thereby, and

a plurality of feeders for said needles, of

means for projecting alternate needles up out of action, means for knitting with the alternate set of needles at every feeder, means for causing the sets of needles to interchange, and means for drawing loops of fleecingthreads between the shanks of the needles raised out of position.

9. In a circular independentmeedle knitting-machine, the combination with a cylinder, and fabric-knitting needles carriedthereby, of means for projecting alternate needles up out of action, means for knitting with the alternate set of needles, means for causing said sets of needles to interchange their respective order of operation, and means for laying a loose thread on the out- IIC side of one of said sets of needles and on the inside of the other set.

10. In a circular independent-needle knitting-machine, the combination with a cylinder, and fabric-knitting needles carried therer by; of means for projecting alternate needles up out of action, means for knitting with the a ternate set ofneedles, means for causing said sets of needles to interchange their respective 10 order of operation, and means moving about said 0 linder for laying a loose thread on the outsi e of the inoperative needles and on the inside of' the operating-needles.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERNARD T. STEBER. v 

